Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards their target of ensuring that 50 per cent of publicly procured food is either from local producers in the UK or from suppliers certified to higher environmental standards.

The Government has already published a new national procurement policy statement which sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that British producers are well-placed to meet.

Data collection on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local sustainable sources is currently underway. We expect the work to be completed by Summer 2027.

Defra is considering the policy options available to deliver further on its ambitions for public sector food, including potentially updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.